According to a lawsuit, personal data belonging to more than 155,000 former Pierce College students and staff was leaked onto the Dark Web after a cyberattack this summer.
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Pierce College is accused of failing to protect sensitive information, including Social Security numbers and bank account information, of those affected by the data breach. Sally McAuley, a 2022 and current student law student, has sued the college for negligence in Pierce County Circuit Court, in an action her attorneys plan to file as a class action, court documents show.
“We don’t yet know what security protocols Pierce College had in place, but we do know they were inadequate to protect its students’ information,” attorney Timothy Emery in a statement to The News Tribune.
The complaint, filed on Nov. 8, “appears to misrepresent the nature and extent of the incident,” Pierce College Chancellor and Principal Julie Whitein response to a question from The News Tribune, though she declined to say specifically how, citing the college’s practice of not commenting on legal matters.
Pierce College, which serves more than 13,500 students annually and has campuses in Lakewood and Puyallup, reported to the state Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection on Sept. 8 that it detected suspicious activity within its network on July 24.
White said it would take “some time” to review all records, but based on what it could determine and acting with “a lot of precautions,” the university sent letters on Sept. 8 notifying all individuals whose information may have been compromised.
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The data breach affected 155,811 Washington residents and leaked their names, Social Security and driver's license numbers, financial and banking information and full dates of birth, according to the Attorney General's office's data breach information page, which lists data reported to it by affected entities such as public bodies.
The data breach was the third-largest in Washington state this year, based on the number of people affected, according to state records. It ranks third behind breaches reported by T-Mobile (772,593 people) and Shoreline Community College (400,000). In January, Pierce County announced that an employee in the comptroller’s office accidentally shared the last four digits of the Social Security numbers of 463,000 registered voters with an individual who requested copies of voter records.
The lawsuit, which cites an August report by CyberNews.com, alleges that a criminal organization called the “Rhysida gang” later posted personal information stolen from the Pierce College district on a Dark Web auction site.
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To prevent future cyberattacks on educational institutions like Pierce College, there are a number of protective steps that can be taken. First, increasing awareness and education of staff and students is crucial. People need to be aware of threats and know the basic principles of information protection. Educational programs and awareness campaigns can help achieve this goal.
Second, strengthening the cybersecurity of systems and networks is essential. This includes installing and maintaining up-to-date security software, implementing strong passwords, limiting access to sensitive data, and regularly updating and reviewing system security.
Third, data storage and management must be done with care. Encrypting data, regularly backing up, and implementing strict access policies can help protect information from unwanted access.
Finally, collaboration with experts in the field of cybersecurity can be very useful. External specialists can provide the necessary knowledge and help in designing and implementing effective cybersecurity policies.
Source: govtech.
